Eager to see the glow again!

The phenomena of Bioluminescence is relatively common in insects where it is exhibited by glow worms and fireflies. But the same Bioluminescence is exhibited by another form of living beings on the land - Fungi! Bioluminescent fungi are present in Indian jungles. But to see them is a challenge. 

It requires coming out of our comfort zone where we are used to have bright light in night and venture into the dark forest with minimal light and look for the glow by switching off the light source completely. 

Notice the twig in the center in the above image. That contains glowing fungi on its surface which glows at night. Below image of the same twig made at night would give you an idea.

The way these Bioluminescent fungi lit up the forest floor is really amazing! 
These twigs and stems look perfectly normal in the day light and by looking at them during the day one cannot make out which ones glow at night and which ones are not. So the only way to figure that out is to actually go out at night :).

 

 

The forest of the region where I went last year was teeming with various life forms. The color of the jungle was vibrant and so are the creatures!  

CLICK HERE for a detailed experience along with a video log of our experience last year.

And, we are planning for this year too! 

CLICK HERE for the link to know more about how you can also be a part of it!


Cheers,
Ash 

In search of a 'Glow' in the dark!

I had seen glowing twigs when I was studying 12th. One of my friends had brought me one sample twig and had told me that such glowing twigs are found all around his home during monsoon. His home is amidst thick forest. I had kept the twig with me for about a week at my home and due to lack of humidity the glow diminished and ultimately the twig got its moksha in the dust bin! All this had happened around 14 years back and it was a closed chapter in my life until recently I recollected the whole episode. That made me to start search for the glow which litters the forest floor in the Western Ghats.

Incidentally Sriharsha was also thinking about the same in parallel and during a normal conversation we happened to know that we both of us are looking for the same thing - Glowing Fungi!

This is how it looks during the day! 

Absolutely no clue as to it would glow so beautifully in dark!

Then happened the cycle of searches and enquiries and finally we managed to find them and more importantly shoot them.

Shooting was a huge challenge as the conditions were not favorable.

Our experiences and the results are now shared on Landscape Wizards - "Luminous Landscapes".

Don't miss to watch the video of our experience and the wonderful GIF by Sriharsha is just an icing on the cake.

Hope you enjoy.

Cheers,
Ash

As the winter passes by...

Looks like the cool weather is gone for this season and is making way to the hotter summer this time. Temperature during the day is soaring and the misty mornings are gone. Now onwards the Sun rules the sky and he will start towards his peak.

This winter I didn't shoot much. My trip to Kodachadri in October last year was the only trip which stands out for me in this winter. No visits to my backyard T.G.Halli as well.

Trip to Kodachadri was in fact a LW workshop which I co-lead with my friend Sri Harsha Ganjam. Sahana had also accompanied me on the trip and we all had a wonderful time at my friend Adithya Biloor's place - Simha Farms. It was fruitful for me personally in terms of some of the images I got during the trip.

We had some nice time making images at Hidlumane falls and a nice evening at Baindoor beach. The evening hue was fantastic and everyone enjoyed making images.

We went to the top of Kodachadri to witness the sunrise and we were surprised by looking at the amount of tiny flowers on top of the peak. They were huge in number and were of many varieties as well. It was the first time I had seen so many flowers at that place! The sunrise was also a pleasure to sight.

All in all a very nice time spent and that's all I have this winter.

Need to see how this summer will be.

Cheers,
Ash
   

My love with Sathoddi continues!

Here is an account of my last visit to Sathoddi Falls that I have shared on Landscape Wizards Blog.

Click here to access the same.

Hope you like it.

Cheers,
Ash

Moist ~ Green ~ Lively - Season's first Trip to Western Ghats

...

Cloudy weather  ~  Expecting clouds to pour down anytime  ~  gathering dark clouds  ~

Peeking sunbeams through the dark clouds, confusing if it would rain or clear off  ~  drizzling  ~  distant thunders  ~  water sprinkles  ~

sound of raindrops hitting the car bonnet  ~  bubbles on the still water on the road  ~  ripples on the calm waters  ~

looking up towards the sky  ~  street full of dark umbrellas  ~  people rarely looking straight  ~  bent heads  ~  wet roads  ~  filled pot holes, defying their depths  ~

rich greens  ~  moss on the rocks and logs  ~  wonderful ferns  ~  colorful mushrooms  ~  splendid wild flowers  ~  wet forest floor  ~  stretching and crawling leeches  ~  wet dead leaves  ~

 

 

muddy red waters  ~  full flowing rivers  ~  re-incarnated waterfalls  ~  silently flowing forest streams  ~  skiddy and slippery river banks  ~  submerged dead trees  ~

cloudy forests  ~  lively valleys  ~  misty canopies  ~  singing streams  ~  bathing rocks  ~  smiling plants  ~

This is what Monsoon in the Western Ghats is all about.

Isn't it? :)


All images are from my recent trip to Western Ghats between 8th and 10th July 2011.

Planning again in Aug. 


More details here: 
http://www.landscape-wizards.com/home/services/workshops-and-tours


Cheers,

Ash

Compositions in Landscape Photography

Monsoon is on and we are seeing green all around. The streams in the mountains are flowing in full flow and the wild flowers are blooming in their intense colors.

This is the time to head towards some of those regions which are at their best in these times. No easy task though but worth all the efforts.

Now, when you are heading towards some of those places to make some wonderful landscape images you probably will need some pointers to make your compositions effective.

To help you with this we, at Landscape Wizards have come up with a guideline on compositions in Landscape Photography. Thanks to Shivakumar L who has prepared this wonderful illustration booklet which will help you in understanding the compositional aspects better.It has only images and they speak for themselves.

To download this booklet CLICK HERE and don't worry, its for FREE. :)

Cheers,
Ash

An update on LW

Finally, images on Landscape Wizards can now be purchased for various purposes. We have decided to open up the images for sale and now Nature lovers can not only enjoy them on web but on the walls of their living room or in the board room as well!

You can check out the 'Sales' section in the Landscape Wizards to get some more information regarding the criteria for pricing etc.

Feel free to contact... :)

Cheers,

Ash

Sriharsha Joins the team!

There is an update on the Landscape Wizards front. We are all excited to welcome Sriharsha Ganjam into the team LW! Apart from being an avid Nature and Landscape  photographer, he is a passionate star gazer and has a very rich experience in that field. Now that adds a new dimension to the team.

 H (Sriharsha) is our captain of the Leonids 09 project as well :), after all he was the one who educated us on this event!  Now if your question is 'Whats Leonids??' then I am sure you will also be equally excited as we all are once you know what it is! It is one of the most spectacular events in the astronomical calender - the meteorite shower or rather a meteorite burst! This year they peak on Nov 17th and 18th, yes very few days are left! The shower is predicted to start at around 3AM at night and all predictions say that we are going to have a wonderful Nature's Firework!

  Now, around 15 Nature Photographers have teamed up to capture the event from different locations across Karnataka using time lapse photography and long exposure images. Sounds very exciting isn't it? yes it is! But...

  When we started planning of this project , in September the only worst fear was the retreating monsoon from the East Coast. If there are thick clouds in the sky then the only place left would be the top of an aircraft! And that worst fear looks coming alive now! :(  The West Coast being hit with the Cyclones and I am hearing the news of continuous showers from that side. Weather of Bangalore is also not much promising.

  As we are trying long exposure images and time lapse, the light pollution is a very big problem and that the reason why we have chosen the places far from the cities and city lights. Myself is heading towards Kodachadri where I will be trying to capture the event with resident - Adithya Biloor. With the clouds in the picture we are not at all sure on if it would be a success or a successful failure! Our fingers are crossed!

  Hmm, I have come quite a long way in the deviation from the main topic! :)

 A warm welcome Sriharsha!

 He has written a very nice article on Landscape Photography: Myths and Realities.

 A very good read.... Read on...

Cheers,
Ash

The next small step in LW!

 Its been just over a month since I became a part of Landscape Wizards Team.

 LW is one of its kind in India which is completely dedicated to Landscape Photography. I bet you will find a fine collection of stunning landscape images which is made across India and abroad.

  As a small next step apart from sharing images for viewing, the team has decided to place some wallpapers and calenders for download! Yes! Now you can download these wall papers and Calenders onto your desktops and enjoy the image in its bigger form!

You can download the wallpapers/calenders from the 'Resources' section of the website.

HERE is the link to the site, in case if you are not aware yet!

Cheers,

Ash